The Strokes to (Possibly) Hit the Studio (Again) in January

Julian Casablancas sure hasn’t been alleviating fears about the fate of the Strokes’ 4th LP in interviews of late, candidly admitting to “disagreement[s]” over “whether the songs are ready,” saying that “a band is actually a great way to ruin a friendship,” and that—like Noel and Liam Gallagher before Oasis split—”apart from when [they]’re rehearsing, [they] don’t see each other.”

Things got a bit more hopeful, however, when he told Pitchfork, “We’re supposed to get back together in January but don’t hold me to that. We’ve been trying to do it for years.” And now it looks like those January plans are actually coming to fruition:

“While the guys are in LA, I went to scout some studios in NYC with Ryan today for what looks like Jan recording!!! mood = f***ing excited!” bassist Nikolai Fraiture tweeted on Friday. This is just speculation, of course, but if “Ryan” is manager Ryan Gentles and “the guys” are the Strokes, then next year just got even cooler.

Winning “Album of the Decade” by NME and others must be a pretty good motivator, I suppose.